For the past 30 years, Windermere Real Estate has supported more than 500 non-profit agencies dedicated to helping low-income and homeless families through donations from the Windermere Foundation. We have worked with many worthy organizations that provide shelter, food, youth/children’s programs, emergency assistance, education/counseling, school assistance, scholarships, and other services to those in need in our communities. One organization that we have been honored to partner with these past three years is YouthCare, a non-profit in Seattle, Washington that provides critical services to homeless youth. YouthCare works to end youth homelessness and to ensure that young people are valued for who they are and empowered to achieve their potential.

Three years ago, we embarked on a campaign to #tacklehomelessness with the Seattle Seahawks and YouthCare. Together, our goal was to bring resources to help homeless youth move forward, and to inspire our neighbors and friends to take action. Windermere committed to donating $100 for every Seahawks home game defensive tackle to YouthCare. During the three seasons of the campaign, a total of $98,700 was raised to help fund housing and residential care for homeless youth.

In addition to the #tacklehomelessness campaign, Windermere offices throughout the greater Seattle area came together each fall to hold a “We’ve Got You Covered” winter drive for YouthCare. Over three years, a combined total of over 14,600 hats, gloves, scarves, socks, and an assortment of other accessories and cash donations were collected through the drives.

“We fielded a mountain (literally!) of donated items from the Windermere Community,” said Jody Waits, Development & Communications Officer for YouthCare. “Windermere understands the power of home, and that a safe and welcoming place to call your own causes joy. We are so honored to have cheered for the Hawks and had this incredible partnership to tackle homelessness, together! While our friendship is evolving, we know that, united, we’ll always be working to help homeless youth be safe today and build a thriving future for tomorrow. Thank you!”

Although our campaign with YouthCare has come to an end, Windermere is still actively involved with the non-profit. Cassie Walker Johnson, managing broker at the Windermere Wedgwood office, is a member of YouthCare’s Board of Directors.

Windermere is proud to partner with non-profits like YouthCare, and we are thankful for all the generous donations made to the Windermere Foundation, which enable us to continue to support them.

We have the date for the 2018 Annual Windermere Shred Day in hand! Set aside a couple hours on May 19, 2018 from 11-2 to get your shred on down at the Windermere office at 2900 W Broadway. This year we will have 1 truck available with a 5 box limit. Bring a canned or box food donation for the local food bank and we can continue paying it forward.

Funny story about last years event is that we ran out of truck space in the first 2 hours! So it’s best to show up early so that we don’t have a full truck. It will be a drop and go service on the day of the event.

Don’t forget to come down and support your downtown with the new (hopefully annual) event of Moses Lake Brews and Tunes Saturday February 24th all throughout the downtown stores. You will find a breweries and live music in 9 different storefronts.

This is a topic that is close to my heart. The more involved I get in the Moses Lake Community the more I see, especially this community, how much we need people to get involved. We want to have a community that everyone wants to belong to, we want to feel that what we do matters to this community. With Windermere’s emphasis on community and core values we are able and expected to be out in the community making it a better place to live for you. Every time you use a Windermere agent you are saying that community matters and that businesses that contribute are important to you. Here we are as a company making a living off of those that live in our community and those who choose us, there should be a level of expectation from you that the business will in turn contribute in a positive manner to the place that you live. Look at those you do business with in the community and pay attention to those that you see out doing good and understand and see where their companies heart truly lies. What are they doing to help make this place better?

This year we were able to contribute thanks to you to:

Grant County Homeless Task Force

Moses Lake Canine Program

Moses Lake Museum and Art

Community Family Services

Grant County 4-H & FFA Sale

Boys & Girls Club

Moses Lake Booster Club

Community Services of Moses Lake

Columbia Basin Allied Arts

Big Bend Intervention Fund Donation

Windermere Shred Day

This list is not inclusive of all the committees we are involved with and individual donations we all make as agents. We at Windermere THANK YOU for allowing us to do what we do.

The Moses Lake Ag parade has been a staple in this Agriculture town for over 20 years now. Started in 1995 by Sue Tebow this year she will be honored with the title “Grand Marshall” of this yearly parade.

This parade, on December 1st, filled with lighted tractors, farm equipment, and community merchants, is a perfect accompaniment to the close ties that we share with Agriculture here in the Basin. If you’ve lived here long enough we all know and have been helped in some way by the local farmers and their contribution to the community. Just look towards the lighted corridor on I-90 through Grant County and you will see their willingness to make the holidays brighter even for those driving back and forth across the state. Farm land ablaze with Christmas characters for miles keeps us all entertained in those long hours of driving.

This parade honoring our local farmers will begin in Sinkiuse square at 5:00 pm. The local stores will remain open for shoppers and on the streets you will find toasted marshmallows, hot chocolate, fresh made mini doughnuts and best of all FREE french fries donated by Simplot. In addition to the food there will be local dance and singing talent organized by Dale Roth in the square. Lighted parade will begin at 7:00.

All of this is put on and hosted by the Moses Lake Business Association as they strive to supply this city with a thriving downtown community where local residents can enjoy the local food and fare. Come join us, bundle up warm, as we pay tribute to the industry that keeps food on our table. We could not do it without all the help from this giving community.